Shangai 99 (China) will translate 'Hierba Santa', by F.G. Haghenbeck

'Hierba Santa', by F.G. Haghenbeck, has just been acquired by Shangai 99 (China). Translation rights were recently acquired by Suhrkamp/Insel (Germany), Planeta Brasil (Brazil) and Orlando Publishers (The Netherlands) as well.

Hierba Santa was published last summer 2009 by Planeta Mexico. With echoes of Magic Realism, the novel is a vivid homage to Frida Kahlo, a woman who changed the course of modern art.

In the novel we are told that all her life Frida kept a little notebook which she called 'The Book of Hierba Santa (Holy Herb)'. In it, she wrote down not only her thoughts and ideas but also many Mexican food receipes that she prepared every 'Día de Muertos' (Day of the Dead), a holiday celebrated in Mexico to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. Traditions connected with the holiday include preparing the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. 

What's new and different compared to other books about Frida is that the author uses fantasy in the story: The narrator tells us that after Frida's fatal accident in a tram in her early youth (which actually happened) she dies and meets Death. Frida then reaches an agreement with Death which allows her to go back to life: Every 'Día de muertos' she has to pay a tribute to Death by cooking wonderful meals. Given this, all through the novel Frida is very conscious that Death is also part of life. This certainty gives her a special view of the world and the events that take place.

Some of Frida's favourite receipes are included in the novel towards the end of every chapter, so apart from enjoying the narrative and learning more abot Frida's life, readers can also try their culinary skills and pay their own homage to a woman that has become an icon of 20th century art and feminism.

F. G. Haghenbeck (México, 1965).

Writer and scriptwriter has worked for Televisa and for different museums. He is proud to be the only Mexican who has written scripts for Superman (DC Comics), and has also participated in the creation of Crimson (Wildstorm 1999-2001) and Alternation (Image Comics, 2004). He's the author of successful novels in Mexico, amongst which Trago amargo (Bitter Drink), which was awarded the Premio Nacional Una Vuelta de Tuerca to the best crime novel in 2006, to be published soon in France (Denoël) and Serbia (Laguna). 'Hierba santa' will also be translated in different languages such as Dutch (Orlando Publishers), German (Insel Verlag), Chinese (Shangai 99) and Portuguese (Brazil only, Planeta Brasil).

Pòrtic will publish 'To Bee or not to Bee' in Catalan

Edicions Proa, for their series Pòrtic, has acquired Catalan rights of this book written by John Penberthy and Illustraded by Laurie Barrows. 'To Bee or not To bee' was originally published by Sterling Publishers in New York, that will re-launch the book this fall in a paperback edition.

Laced with wise aphorisms and richly illustrated with Chinese water color-style illustrations, To Bee or not to Bee makes an endearing gift book.

Great spiritual teachers speak not of learning more, but of letting go, of surrendering. This can be difficult for adults because the familiar is so, well…familiar.

But the young…they’re more present and open and have less to unlearn. To Bee or Not to Bee is an inspirational story of such innocent wisdom and how it leads one young worker bee to spiritual awakening.

Foreign rights sold up to now include: 

Spanish (Latin America: Editorial Diana; Spain: Ediciones Luciérnaga), Catalan (Pòrtic), German (DTV), Italian (Sperling & Kupfer Editori), Portuguese (Brazil only) (Academia de Intelligencia), Romanian (Editura Mix), Slovenian (Zalozba Eno), Japanese (PHP Institute), Simplified Chinese (China Citic Press), Complex Chinese (Business Weekly Publications), Indonesian (Gramedia Pustaka Utama), Vietnamese (Tri Viet Publishing) and Korean (MaksMedia).

Spanish rights of CSIRKEJÁTÉK, by Hungarian author Szilárd Rubin, sold to Backlist

Editorial Bcklist has acquired Spanish rights of this Hungarian novel, orginally published in 1963.

Backlist will publish it in Spanish in 2011, as Hunagry will be the Invited Guest at the Feria del Libro de Madrid.

The novel was rediscovered in 2004 by the Hungarian publishing house Magveto. In the Spring of 2009 the German translation was released by Rowohlt, and gained a lot of attention in Geermany. Newspapers such as Frankfurter Allgemeine, Frankfurter Rundschau, and Spiegel among others issued rave reviews, calling the the book "one of last century's most exciting love stories", and placing it on a par with Scott Fitzgerald's THE GREAT GATSBY. The author was born in 1927 and recently died in Budapest.


This is the story of Attila and Orsolya, two young lovers in post-World War II Hungary. (The title refers to a game which first-person narrator Attila describes: players are asked to hold out sitting on rails as long as possible despite a train rushing near. His friend remarks that their lives are no different from the game.)

Attila is a poor, aspiring writer, and Orsolya is the descendant of a rich bourgeois German family. Attila felt drawn to Orsolya since they were children, but he dares speak to her for the first time only after she returns after the war from burned down Dresden to her former home town near Budapest, still marked by her recovery from Typhus. Because her family is German, their former riches are all gone. In contrast, Attila seems to emerge as a winner under the new socialist rule – so the two form an unlikely coalition turned upside down. But the obstacles Attila and Orsolya face are strikingly similar to the old days: Orsolya’s family objects to the relationship, and they quite openly point out to Attila that they don’t consider him a good match for Orsolya.

Rights, so far, have been sold to Rowoholt (Germany), Backlist (Spain) and Slovart (Slovakia).

A partir del 2 de setembre trobareu a les llibreries 'La novel.la de Dickens', de Neus Canyelles

Edicions Proa publicarà, a partir del 2 de setembre, la nova novel.la de Neus Canyelles: 'La novel.la de Dickens'.

Alguns blocs ja s'han fet ressò d'aquesta publicació i entre d'altres comentaris diuen:

* 'La novel·la de Dickens és una obra que sedueix per la naturalitat del to, que entrellaça vida i literatura i que consagra Neus Canyelles com una gran escriptora. Una novel·la que acompanyarà el lector fins molt després d’haver-la llegida'.
 (melibro.com)

* 'Una novel.la autèntica i entranyable.' (lletresenbloc)

Aquest és el text de la contracoberta:

Novel·la intimista i sensible que combina magistralment la il·lusió amb la crua realitat.

Brillant relat amb un punt de fantasia sobre una noia jove en un moment de crisi personal.

La Blanca és una noia que viu turmentada per nombroses dificultats, que potser al final trobaran solució. Es va criar en un orfenat —on la seva única distracció era llegir 'Grans esperances' de Charles Dickens—, se separa d’un company músic, té una filla petita i es queda a l’atur. De tant en tant escriu contes que reelaboren màgicament el que li ha passat al llarg del dia. La situació d’incertesa en què viu la Blanca li provoca unes migranyes terribles en les quals de vegades se li apareix el fantasma de Charles Dickens, que li llegeix fragments de Grans esperancesi la cuida. Entre tots dos s’estableix una relació molt especial i secreta. La Blanca també es relaciona amb dos veïns, una perruquera extrovertida que vol ser model i un neuròleg que l’ajudarà a millorar la salut. El lector s’acabarà plantejant si de vegades els fantasmes poden ser útils en la vida de les persones. 

'Hævnens Gudinde', de Sara Blaedel, será publicada en castellano por Ediciones Mosaico

Tras publicar 'Sin salida', Ediciones Mosaico (Grupo Norma) ha adquirido los derechos en castellano de 'Hævnens Gudinde', de Sara Blaedel, una nueva entrega de la serie protagonizada por la inspectora de policía de Copenhague Louise Rick. Iremos informado sobre la fecha de publicación de este nuevo título de la autora danesa.

Editorial Interzona (Argentina) adquiere los derechos de la nueva novela de Gustavo Dessal: Clandestinidad.

Clandestinidad, la nueva novela de Gustavo Dessal, será publicada en castellano por Interzona a finales de 2010.

A finales de los años 60 en Buenos Aires, dos jóvenes adolescentes inician una relación de novios. Él es introvertido, callado, carente de identidad y de deseos. Ella es su antítesis: vital, idealista, desbordada por la pasión. Al principio, ella intenta corregirlo a él, educarlo, convertirlo en otro. Con el tiempo descubre que esa tarea es imposible y sus vidas se separan. 

Ella se introduce poco a poco en la política, mientras que él lo hace en la marginación. Ella acaba pasando a la clandestinidad de una organización armada, él será captado por los Grupos de Tareas Antisubversivos. Pocos años después, las trayectorias de sus vidas vuelven a cruzarse.

Escrita en un lenguaje roto y descarnado, ‘Clandestinidad’ constituye la anatomía psicológica de un personaje anónimo y atroz, encarnación de esa terrible banalidad que Anna Harendt atribuía al mal.

***

Gustavo Dessal (Buenos Aires, 1952) reside en Madrid desde 1982. Es psicoanalista y escritor. Formado en Buenos Aires y París, ejerce su práctica clínica desde hace más de treinta años. Ha publicado dos libros de relatos, Operación Afrodita (2004) y Más líbranos del bien (2006), ambos en la editorial Huerga y Fierro. En 2009 publicó su primera novela, Principio de incertidumbre (RBA, 2009). Además, es el compilador del volumen Las ciencias inhumanas (Gredos, 2009). 

Sobre ‘Principio de incertidumbre’:

(...) un verdadero festín literario, al que se suma el nombre de Gustavo Dessal, (...) Psicólogo de formación, autor de un par de colecciones de relatos anteriores, nos sorprende con una historia compleja desde sus inicios. Tramas paralelas, saltos cronológicos, gran variedad de personajes y de gran calado psicológico. (...) Hay sentido del humor, suspense magnético y personajes estupendos.

- El Cultural (25/10/2009)

Una trama que recuerda a un guión cinematográfico y engancha al lector desde la primera página.

- Estrella digital (25/05/2009)

Hay escritos virtuosos y escritores fascinantes. En Gustavo Dessal convergen ambos sucesos. Leerle es adentrarse en un entramado de pulsiones humanas; leerle es conocernos un poco más a nosotros mismos; leerle ilumina las zonas más umbrías del ser.

- Solidaridad Digital (21/06/09)

Ediciones Luciérnaga acquires Spanish rights of 'To Bee or not To Bee', by John Penberthy

Ediciones Luciérnaga has acquired Spanish rights of this book written by John Penberthy and Illustraded by Laurie Barrows. 'To Bee or not To bee' was originally published by Sterling Publishers in New York, that will re-launch the book this fall in a paperback edition.

Laced with wise aphorisms and richly illustrated with Chinese water color-style illustrations, To Bee or Not to Bee makes an endearing gift book.

Great spiritual teachers speak not of learning more, but of letting go, of surrendering. This can be difficult for adults because the familiar is so, well…familiar.

But the young…they’re more present and open and have less to unlearn. To Bee or Not to Bee is an inspirational story of such innocent wisdom and how it leads one young worker bee to spiritual awakening.

Foreign rights sold up to now include: 

Spanish (Latin America: Editorial Diana; Spain: Ediciones Luciérnaga), German (DTV), Italian (Sperling & Kupfer Editori), Portuguese (Brazil only) (Academia de Intelligencia), Romanian (Editura Mix), Slovenian (Zalozba Eno), Japanese (PHP Institute), Simplified Chinese (China Citic Press), Complex Chinese (Business Weekly Publications), Indonesian (Gramedia Pustaka Utama), Vietnamese (Tri Viet Publishing) and Korean (MaksMedia).

Planeta Brasil acquires rights of Hierba Santa, a novel about Frida Kahlo

'Hierba Santa', by FG Haghenbeck, has just been acquired by Planeta Brasil. Translation rights were recently acquired by Suhrkamp/Insel (Germany) and Orlando Publishers (The Netherlands) as well.

Hierba Santa was published last summer 2009 by Planeta Mexico. With echoes of Magic Realism, the novel is a vivid homage to Frida Kahlo, a woman who changed the course of modern art.

In the novel we are told that all her life Frida kept a little notebook which she called 'The Book of Hierba Santa (Holy Herb)'. In it, she wrote down not only her thoughts and ideas but also many Mexican food receipes that she prepared every 'Día de Muertos' (Day of the Dead), a holiday celebrated in Mexico to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. Traditions connected with the holiday include preparing the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

What's new and different compared to other books about Frida is that the author uses fantasy in the story: The narrator tells us that after Frida's fatal accident in a tram in her early youth (which actually happened) she dies and meets Death. Frida then reaches an agreement with Death which allows her to go back to life: Every 'Día de muertos' she has to pay a tribute to Death by cooking wonderful meals. Given this, all through the novel Frida is very conscious that Death is also part of life. This certainty gives her a special view of the world and the events that take place.

Some of Frida's favourite receipes are included in the novel towards the end of every chapter, so apart from enjoying the narrative and learning more abot Frida's life, readers can also try their culinary skills and pay their own homage to a woman that has become an icon of 20th century art and feminism.

F. G. Haghenbeck (México City 1965).

Writer and scriptwriter has worked for Televisa and for different museums. He is proud to be the only Mexican who has written scripts for Superman (DC Comics), and has also participated in the creation of Crimson (Wildstorm 1999-2001) and Alternation (Image Comics, 2004). He'’s the author of successful novels in Mexico, amongst which Trago amargo (Bitter Drink), which was awarded the Premio Nacional Una Vuelta de Tuerca to the best crime novel in 2006, to be published soon in France (Denoël) and Serbia (Laguna). 'Hierba santa' will also be translated in different languages such as Dutch (Orlando Publishers), German (Insel Verlag) and Portuguese (Brazil only, Planeta Brasil).

El Anticuario (The Antiques Dealer), out in Italy

Italian publisher Einaudi, in their series Stile Libero Big, has already released 'El anticuario' (The Antiques Dealer) by Julián Sánchez at the beginning of July. 

Now there are already good reactions to the book amongst Italian media. As an example you can see a nice review, recently appeared, by clicking (here)

The novel will also be published soon by the following publishers:

Limes Verlag (RH Group, Germany), Querido (The Netherlands), Livanis (Greece), AST (Russia), Swiat Ksiazki (Poland) and  Shanghai Translation (China)

Fric Frac Club (France) interviews Germán Sierra

The French website FRIC FRAC CLUB devotes a long interview by François Monti to Spanish author Germán Sierra. The interview begins with these wonderful words:  "Of all the Spanish writers emerged in the last fifteen years, Germán Sierra has undoubtedly the most challenging profile."

You can read the first part of the interview: (here)

Germán Sierra was born in La Coruña in 1960. At present, he lives in Santiago de Compostela, where he combines his work as a university professor in Biochemistry and researcher in medical neuroscience with his literary career.

His published works include El espacio aparentemente perdido (Debate, 1996) La felicidad no da el dinero (Debate, 1999), Efectos secundarios (Debate 2000 - Jaén Novel Prize), Alto Voltaje (Mondadori, 2004) and Intente usar otras palabras (Mondadori, 2009). 

He has written numerous articles which have appeared in various scientific and literary publications, some of which can be viewed, along with updated information about his work at www.germansierra.com

* “It is impossible to remain indifferent to Germán Sierra’s prose; it is conceptual and full of ideas that are as overwhelming as they are fascinating. This has been true ever since his first book.” 

El Mundo (El Cultural)